Forever and Beyond
by Pupskt
Summary: My version of Breaking Dawn. I switched around some parts from Elcipse. Bella and Edward marry, and face many opportunities and challenges together. Please review!
1. Stuck With You

Chapter 1

The front door squeaked open, startling me. Edward must have noticed the intensity of my heartbeat, because before I walked through the open front door, he placed his cold hands on my shoulders, and turned me around to face him.

"Bella, you're not on a death sentence." He assured me. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?" He teased.

I sighed, not really in the joking mood. "No. Of course not. It's just; in a way…I _am_ on a death sentence. Well, at least you are. Charlie's going to kill you." I remarked in a serious voice.

Edward just chuckled. "We'll just see about that."

We entered the house, and wiped the mud from our shoes onto the rug. After hanging our jackets up on the railing, we proceeded into the living room. Calm, relaxed Edward must have noticed my heart pound even faster, because he gently ran his hand across my cheek and whispered in my ear once again that this wasn't a death sentence.

Charlie was watching a baseball game on television in the living room. I hoped his favorite team was winning, so at least he would be in a good mood. We walked further into the room. Charlie was so preoccupied with the game that he hadn't even noticed us. Finally, Edward pretended to clear his throat.

"Good afternoon, Chief Swan."

Charlie looked up, and abruptly stood up from the couch when he noticed we were there.

"Bella…Edward. You two are back early. I thought you were going to spend the day at the Cullen's."

I sighed. "Well…we were, but…plans changed." I stammered. I mentally kicked myself for sounding so stupid.

Charlie knitted his eyebrows. "Oh."

Edward guided me to the couch, and gestured for all of us to sit down. This was it. Edward didn't seem the least bit nervous, while I sat sweating buckets.

Charlie looked confused. "Bella, is something wrong? You look kind of pale."

Right. As if I could look pale sitting next to Edward.

I shook my head. "No, everything's okay."

Edward stepped in. "No. She's wrong. Everything's more than okay. Everything's wonderful, in fact. Chief Swan, as you know, Bella and I care for each other very much." He sounded so perfect, as if he'd recited the lines a thousand times before.

"Your daughter is my whole life. I love her more than I can say. I asked her to marry me, and because of some miracle, she said yes. I can't imagine anyone else I'd love to spend the rest of my life with. I know this is a bit out of order, since I was supposed to ask your permission first, but as you know, Bella has already accepted. Therefore, we are now asking for your blessing, sir."

Charlie was absolutely silent. His facial expression hadn't changed from the moment Edward started talking.

"Dad?" I asked cautiously, anticipating his reaction. Charlie had lost a lot of respect for Edward since the Volturi incident. Of course, Charlie didn't know the reason I had mysteriously disappeared. As far as he knew, Edward had been depressed after hearing that I had apparently died. We told him I had flown to Los Angeles to find him. If I told Charlie the truth, he might have had a heart attack. Having to go to Italy to stop Edward from exposing himself as a vampire , and then having to get away from a dangerous vampire coven was just too much information for one man, Charlie especially, to handle. Nevertheless, Charlie had to make a great effort to treat Edward nicely.

His face had now grown pale.

"What did you just say?" He asked Edward.

If Edward needed to repeat that how statement over again, he probably could.

"We're getting married, Dad." I answered, trying to sound calm.

A long silent moment passed. Nobody said a word. Not even Edward, who sat calmly next to me. After a minute or two, it became almost agonizing.

"Dad?" I asked, sick of the silence.

"You two are getting…married?" He said 'married' as if it was a swear word.

"Yes Chief Swan. And we would like your blessing, please." Edward remarked.

Charlie didn't even have to think for a minute.

"Absolutely not," He said sternly.

I gasped. I knew he wouldn't love the idea, but_ 'absolutely not'_?

"Dad, please just consider the idea. If--"

He cut me off. "Bella, you're eighteen. There's now way—"

I cut in. "I'll be nineteen in September, Dad." I lied. I would never be nineteen.

Dad's face didn't lighten as he turned to Edward. "Edward, I know you care for Bella, but you both are just too young to understand." Oh how I would have loved too tell Charlie Edward's real age right then and there.

"Chief Swan, Bella and I are in love. I love her ore than my own life, you see, and she loves me that way too. Please consider it." Edward reasoned.

Charlie shook his head sternly. "No."

I stood up. "Dad!"

Charlie stood up too. "Bella, I said you are _not_ getting married to this boy at eighteen!"

I sighed angrily. "_Yes. I. Am_." I started to feel the adrenaline rush.

Edward stood up, still completely calm and relaxed. "Chief Swan, I understand how you would feel--"

"No. Edward, I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to leave." Charlie said, pointing towards the front door.

"_Dad_!" I protested. "You can't!--" I could feel the anger consuming me.

"No, Bella. It's alright." Said yet a still calm Edward as he walked to the front hallway. I stayed right where I was in the living room, hardly believing what was happening. Edward was leaving? I ran to the door before he could leave.

"Edward, don't." I whispered.

He leaned in towards my ear. "Don't worry. I won't be far." He whispered smoothly. He walked out the front door, and eventually, I heard him speed away in his Volvo. Human speed, of course. But once he turned the corner, he would probably pass one hundred miles an hour.

I stalked back to the living room, an angry expression on my face. Charlie's wasn't very different.

"Charlie, I can't believe you!" I yelled, not caring that I had just called him Charlie instead of Dad.

He sighed. "Look, Bells. I know you like Edward, but this is just too much for you two."

"Look, Dad. In case you didn't notice, we're not asking for your permission. Just your blessing." There. Plain and simple.

His eyes went wide. "Isabella Swan, are you meaning to tell me that you would marry that boy against my permission?" He demanded.

I shrugged. "Yes. Whether you like it or not, Dad, Edward and I are kind of a package deal." I was impressed on how nonchalant I sounded.

"Bella, can't we just go over this? What about college? You still have your whole life ahead of you."

"Yes. My whole life ahead of me. One that I am going to share with Edward. And I'm still going to go to college. So is Edward. Dad, my life isn't going to end once I get married." Well, technically, it was going to. But that was a different subject.

Charlie sighed, and sat down on the couch. "Bella, I can't let you do this. Think of what you'd be sacrificing."

Oh, if he only knew. My humanity—eating, sleeping, blushing. But I would gladly give it all up for Edward. And I was going to.

"Dad, I'm not going to be sacrificing much." I lied. "I'm going to be happier when I'm married to him. Can't you understand that?"

He shook his head once again. "No. What's the rush? Can't you two just continue dating until you're older?" He suggested.

I shook my head. "No. Dad, we have our own reasons for this, reasons that don't apply to you. We're getting married. It's up to you if you want to give us your blessing or not."

"Bella, one more thing you should consider before you tie the knot." Charlie started in a defeated voice.

"What?"

"Renee. What are you going to tell her? You know that marriage before age thirty is a worse crime then hurting innocent kittens, in her mind, you know."

I sighed. "I know, Dad. But I'm not going to let that stop me. Look, I know you two wouldn't be thrilled about this, but it's going to happen. Edward Cullen is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me." I felt kind of ridiculous telling my dad all of this, but he needed to know the truth.

Charlie ran a hand through his hair. "Okay."

I went to protest, but stopped. "Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay. You two have my blessing."

I gasped, shocked. "What?"

"Bella, you've always been the better judge at what's best for you. If marrying Edward is what you think is best, go for it."

I was now taken completely off guard. "Go for it?"

"Yes, Bella. Hey, come on. I saw this coming. I knew it would eventually happen. If getting married makes you happy, by all means I want you to be happy." Charlie smiled.

I wanted to cry. "Dad…thank you." I went over and hugged him on the couch, awkwardly. There was no doubt I was happy, but I was almost afraid that any second Charlie would change his mind.

"Well, I'll go start dinner." I said, so he couldn't turn back on his decision.

"Alright, Bells. Oh and why don't you give your fiancé a call? I feel kinda bad now for kicking him out. Invite him over for dinner, if he wants."

Fiancé. Ugh. "Good idea."

I dialed Edward's number on the phone, and went towards the front hallway so Charlie couldn't hear.

"Bella," Edward's voice soothed over the phone. "What happened? I didn't want to eavesdrop on you two so I drove home."

I smiled. "That was nice of you."

Edward sighed. "So what happened? Charlie's thoughts sounded less then thrilled."

I laughed. "We have his blessing."

I could imagine Edward smiling. "That's wonderful!"

"Can you come over? Charlie wants you to have dinner with us."

"Alright. Is it okay if I come over now? I can help you cook if you want." He suggested.

"Okay."

"Can you wait five minutes? If it doesn't take me any time to get here Charlie might get suspicious." Edward chuckled.

I laughed. There were certain precautions you had to take when you were in love with a vampire. "Alright. I'll see you in five minutes, then. I love you."

"I love you, my Bella."

When Edward arrived five minutes later, Charlie opened the door to greet him this time.

"Listen, Edward. I owe you an apology for the way I acted earlier. I was just taken off guard." Charlie explained.  
Edward smiled. "There's nothing to apologize for, Chief Swan. If anything, I owe you an apology. I should have asked for your permission first."

Charlie just smiled and shook his head. "No, it's alright. I would have given you my permission anyway." He said, taking Edward's coat for him and hanging it up. "And my blessing." He added.

"Thank you, sir."

Although Edward obviously wasn't going to eat, he helped me prepare the casserole anyway. I didn't know what his plan was this time. Usually when he joins us for dinner, which isn't that often, he makes an excuse not to eat. Or he endures eating the food, and occasionally sneaking some onto my plate and into his napkin. I knew eating food for him was like a human eating dirt, and how he would have to cough it back up later.

We sat down at the dinner table, and Charlie spooned some casserole onto his plate.

"So when are you two planning on telling Renee?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe after dinner."

Charlie then handed me the serving spoon, and I put food on my plate. Charlie started talking about something that happened at work, and once I was done putting food on my plate, I shot Edward a questioning look. He simply smiled graciously and took the serving spoon from my hand. He placed a generous amount of casserole on his plate, probably so it didn't look strange he was eating so little. He casually picked up his fork, and placed the food into his mouth, and swallowed. Somehow, he hid the grimace as he always did when he ate around Charlie. He took a few more bites, and all the while, I looked at him apologetically. He just smiled, and continued to listen to whatever Charlie was rattling on about.

After dinner, Charlie and Edward watched a football game on television while I did the dishes. Edward offered to help me, but I had insisted he watched with Charlie. Now that my dad seemed to be more accepting of Edward, I wanted them to be able to spend all of the time together they could. Once I was done with the dishes, I joined them in the living room. As I sat next to Edward and pretended to watch the game, I realized how happy I was. I was going to spend all eternity with Edward. It was all sinking in now. I offhandedly leaned in and kissed Edward's cold cheek. He smiled, wrapping his arm gently around me. We watched another quarter of the game, and Charlie didn't seem to mind the closeness between me and Edward. Probably because we were engaged now. Engaged. Ugh.

"Bells, don't you think you should put a phone call in to your mother? She'd probably like to hear the news." My dad suggested at a commercial.

All of the calmness I had felt before suddenly drained. I groaned quietly as Edward stood up and took my hand, leading me into the kitchen. Taking the phone from off the counter, he led me upstairs to my room.

"I thought we should call her in private, just so Charlie can't hear and having second thoughts by overhearing her opinion." He explained as he shut the door.

I nodded. "Good idea." I sighed. "Well, here we go." I said as I started to dial Renee's number.

Edward smiled calmly. "It'll be alright."

"How can you be so relaxed?" I asked as the phone rang on the other line.

Edward just shrugged.

"Hello?"

"Mom! Hi. It's Bella." I said into the phone.

"Bella, I'm so glad to hear from you!" She exclaimed, her voice almost too cheery.

"Um…how are you?" I asked, not wanting to drop the bomb yet.

"I'm good. I miss you a lot." She said.

"I miss you too. How's Phil?" I asked.

"Oh he's wonderful. He's started training already, can you believe it? He wants to be fully prepared for the season."

"Wow. Good for him." I remarked.

"So how are you doing, Bells? You haven't called me in a while. You should really call more often you know. It worries me when you don't call." She chattered.

I sighed, suppressing a smile at Edward's silent laughter. "I know. I'm sorry, Mom. Things have been a little…crazy. I'm fine."

"That's good. How is your Edward?" She asked, her voice rising when she said Edward.

I rolled my eyes. "He's fine, Mom."

"It looked like you two were pretty serious when you came to visit a while ago. Do you really like him, Bells?"

"Yeah, I do." I blushed. Edward just smiled.

"Well…you know Bella, there are other fish in the sea. If you feel like this relationship is too much for you to handle, by all means you should--"

"Mom!" I gasped.

"Tell her." Edward whispered.

I sighed. "No, Mom. There are no other fish in the sea. Not for me, anyway. Edward and I are…well…you see…um…we're sort of…engaged."

There was a brief pause. I held my breath, preparing for the worst.

"Wow, that's great, Bella! I'm so happy for you!" She exclaimed.

I knit my eyebrows. "Really?" I was in shock.

"Yes, really! I'm thrilled."

Edward chuckled. "But mom, I thought you would be…I don't know. I thought you thought that you shouldn't marry before age thirty…"

"Well, I do wish that you would wait, of course. But who am I to suggest that? You were born middle aged, practically. You know what's best for you. Just tell me one thing. Is getting married what's best for you?" She asked, the excitement still in her voice.

"Yes. Definitely." She had no idea how much getting married would be best for me.

"Oh, Bells, I'm so happy for you! And Edward too. I can't wait to see him again. It's been a while. And now that you two are engaged--" I cringed at the word. "I will like him even more than I did the last time."

I laughed. "Would you like to talk to him?" I asked.

"He's there?" Renee asked.

"Oh, goodness. He didn't hear what I said, did he?"

I stifled my laughter, with not much help from Edward, who was silently laughing into his hand.

"No mom. Here he is, okay?"

I put my hand over my mouth to control my laughter as I handed Edward the phone with my other hand.

"Hello, Renee." He said, not laughing anymore, just smiling.

Renee said something into the phone.

"Oh yes, thank you. I'm very happy too."

"No, we haven't set a date yet. I actually just asked her today, so we haven't gone into details yet."

"Yes, I will make sure she calls you more often."

After Renee finished her sentence, Edward smiled and nodded

"It was nice talking to you. Goodbye, Renee."

He handed the phone back to me.

"Alright, well I'll call you later, mom. And I'll let you know about the wedding and everything." I promised.

"Okay Bella. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

The second I hung up, Edward burst into a fit of laughter.

I smiled. "What?"

"Are…you sure…there's no more…fish in the sea?" Edward questioned through his laughter.

I laughed. "Yes. I'm sure." I stammered.

We continued to laugh like that for a few minutes. Eventually, after our laughter somewhat died down, Edward picked me up and laid me gently on the bed, sitting down next to me.

"I can't wait for you to become Mrs. Cullen." He whispered his hand on my cheek.

"I can't wait, either." I stammered.

I stared into his gold eyes for a moment, getting completely lost in them, like always.

"Bella!" Charlie called from downstairs, startling me.

"Shoot." I sat up, remembering Charlie was downstairs.

"I guess we'll just have to pick up where we left off tonight." Chuckled Edward as we walked out of my bedroom.

"Sorry, Dad. We were just on the phone with Renee." I explained.

"Oh. How'd she take it?"

"Quite nicely, actually. She's happy for us." I told him.

"Good." Charlie said, checking his watch. Well, the game just ended. It's getting close to nine o'clock. You might want to get to bed earlier tonight, Bella."

Chief Swan, do you mind if I take Bella to my house for a bit? Alice is dying to discuss the wedding details. I'll have her home by ten o'clock sharp." Edward promised.

Charlie nodded. "Just be back by ten."

Edward slid my jacket on me, and with a quick goodbye to Charlie, we got into his Volvo. Once he turned the street corner, he sped up.

"Edward, can't we just go over wedding details later?" I almost begged.

"Sure we can. But we have to tell my family sooner or later." He smiled.

I grinned. "Oh yeah. Did they have any idea?"

Edward shook his head. "Just Alice, of course. I made her promise not to tell anyone, though. I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone else."

I knit my eyebrows. "Wait—so Alice already knew I was going to say yes?"

Edward nodded. "Well, she saw you saying yes. But her visions aren't always correct, as you know. You could have said no." He smiled wider.

"So you knew I was going to say yes?"

Edward nodded.

"You cheater!" I exclaimed, hitting him playfully on his arm, though it felt as if I had just punched a boulder. "Ouch!" I rubbed my sore hand.

"Are you okay?" Asked now a concerned Edward, taking his eyes off the road and onto my hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. I didn't want anything to ruin this night.

"I wouldn't be too sure…" Edward took one hand off the wheel to gently examine my hand. "We'd better get this checked out by Carlisle."

I sighed, angry at myself for forgetting how hard Edward was. "No, really, I'm fine."

Edward chuckled, putting his hand back on the steering wheel.

"We'll just see about that."

Almost instantly, we pulled up in front of the Cullen's house. Edward pulled the car into the huge garage, and looked at my hand in the light after turning off the car.

"It looks swollen." He mentioned.

I pulled my painful hand away. "Okay, I'll have Carlisle look at it, but first can we tell them the news?" I asked anxiously.

"Of course." Before I could blink, Edward had gotten out the car and was at my side of the car opening the door for me, taking my good hand in his own. He led me up the porch into the beautiful house. The house still amazed me every time I came. It seriously looked like something that should be in a movie. Opening the front door, we were greeted by Alice, with a knowing grin on her face.

"Hi Bella!" She came over and kissed my cheek, then Edwards. Since the others were all in the kitchen, and were capable of hearing us perfectly from the other room, Alice didn't say anything about our engagement, knowing to keep it a surprise. Instead, she just winked.

"Hello Bella!" Welcomed Esme in her warm voice. Carlisle followed right after her.

"Bella, how nice to see you."

"Hello Esme, Carlisle." I smiled. I felt as if they were already my family.

"Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie," Edward called in a normal voice, as if he were talking to a person in the room, not upstairs. Before I could even blink, the three gracefully entered the room.

"Jingle Bell!" Yelled Emmett as he entered the room and pulled me into a bear hug.

I groaned. He often called me 'jingle bell' just to annoy me. And it worked.

"Hi Emmett." I said in a flat voice, waiting for him to put me down. Eventually, he did.

"Hi Bella." Jasper said, shyly. He still wasn't too comfortable around me, but I still loved him as a brother.

"Hello, Jasper." I smiled at him.

I looked over at Rosalie. She and I still weren't at the best of terms. I saw how she often made an effort to treat me kindly, for Edward's sake, I guessed. She didn't agree with the fact that I was to become a vampire. That was also part of the issue. But we had greatly improved since we first met. At least she didn't mind having me around as much as she did.

"Hi Bella." Rosalie said in her beautiful voice. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Rosalie." I smiled.

"Well, why don't we all sit down? We have some news." Edward suggested. Everybody sat down, with confused looks on their faces, except Alice. I could tell she was trying to hide her smile. Once Edward and I were seated, there was a brief moment of silence.

"Well, what is it, Edward? What do you have to tell us?" Asked Carlisle.

Edward took a deep breath. "Well, as you all know, Bella and I are in love. We all know she is to be changed soon. I can't go another ninety years without her in my life. I have asked her to marry me, and because of some miracle, she said yes." Edward explained, smiling wildly.

Everybody smiled.

"WOOHOO!" Emmett shouted, jumping up from his seat on the couch and running over towards me, picking me up and spinning me around.

"Jingle bell's getting married!" He cheered. Then, gently placing me down, he ran to Edward, running his hand through Edward's bronze hair, messing it up, as if he were petting a dog.

"We knew you could do it, Eddie boy!"

I laughed. I knew how much Edward hated that name.

"Congratulations, you two!" Esme smiled, coming over and hugging me. "I am so happy. You will now finally be part of our family."

Carlisle wrapped his arms around Esme and I. "Yes, indeed, we are thrilled. We love you, Bella."

After breaking out of Esme and Carlisle's embrace, I went to hug Alice.

"I'm so excited to become your sister." I said as I hugged her.

"Oh, Bella. You already are my sister, in a way." She smiled.

I felt like crying. "Thank you, Alice."

Rosalie surprisingly didn't look upset, like I expected her to be. Instead, she smiled and lightly embraced me.

"Welcome to my family, Bella." She remarked sweetly.

"Thank you, Rosalie." I said, almost in disbelief.

After I hugged Rosalie, Jasper gently took my hand in his cold one, and smiled.

"I can feel all the love and happiness in this room. I couldn't be happier myself."

I smiled, trying extra hard to not let out any tears. "Jasper..." I wanted to hug him, but I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable in any way. So instead, I squeezed his hard hand lightly and smiled.

Once everybody calmed down, we took a seat back on the couch.

"Well, Bella, we just want you to know that you are already a daughter to us. We are just so thrilled that it's going to be official." Carlisle began. "We want you to know how much of an impact you've had on our whole family. You've brought us closer together, and you've brightened Edward's life immensely. He was sort of the outsider before. Always quiet, alone, with no one there to love him the way you do."

"He was such a drag," Emmett remarked, putting it plain and simple. I hid my smile.

Esme glared at him briefly. "Emmett…" She warned.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

Carlisle continued. "Ever since you walked into Edward's life, you've given us all strength. You've given us all hope. You showed us how to trust and how to love more than any of us knew in our past existence. We want to thank you for that. We also want to thank you for all that you're giving up for us. You are truly remarkable, Bella."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek, I quickly wiped it away. "What I'm giving up…amounts to nothing compared to what I'm getting in return. I'm getting a wonderful man whom I love very much, and a wonderful family whom I love with all my heart. I feel as if I should be thanking each and every one of you…just for everything that's happened. I love you all so much." More tears started to roll down my cheek.

"We love you too, Jingle bell." Proclaimed Emmett, making me laugh through my tears.

We all talked for a while on how happy we were, and then Edward remembered my hand, unfortunatly. He told everyone how I had injured it, making me blush. Carlisle looked at it, and confirmed that it was only a sprain, but told me to put ice on it as soon as I got home. I assured him I would, although I kept the part about how it probably woudn't be _actual ice_ in my head.

By the time we had finished hugging, it was nearly ten o'clock. I said goodbye to the Cullen's, and we got into Edward's Volvo.

"They love you so much, you know." Edward told me as he drove.

"I love them too. You're so lucky you had known them for so long."

"Yeah. I love you too, you know." He smiled.

"I already knew that." I whispered, smiling.

When we pulled up in front of my house, Edward pulled me into a kiss. Not wanting to leave him, I intensified our kiss, pressing onto his lips even harder, not showing any sign of letting go. Eventually, Edward broke it, leaving us both gasping for breath, although Edward didn't really need to breathe in the first place.

"I swear, you will be the death of me." I muttered through his breath.

I smiled. "Good. Will you come tonight?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes. Right when Charlie goes to bed. But don't wait up for me. You need to sleep."

I shrugged. "We'll see."

"Bella…" Edward began, getting frustrated.

"Good night, Edward." I smiled, kissed his cheek, got out of the Volvo and started walking me to the house. In an instant, Edward was walking beside me.

"Not so fast." He said as we walked. "Promise you won't wait up for me, Bella."

I sighed, defeated. "Okay, but will you come to _visit_ me tomorrow?

He smiled. "Of course. Don't I always?"

I grinned. "Just double-checking."

Once we walked up the front porch I was about to open the door, but Edward stopped me, pulling me into yet another kiss.

"Sleep well, Bella." He whispered into my ear. Then he walked, at human speed, to his car and drove off. Opening the front door, I sighed as I felt the warmness of the house cross my face. I walked into the living room, to see Charlie sound asleep on the couch.

"Dad?" I said softly.

He opened his eyes. "Oh, Bella. You're back. How was it?"

I smiled. "It was great. His family is ecstatic."

Charlie nodded. "That's good. Well, I'm going to call it a night."

"Me too."

"'Night Bells." He said, and trudged towards the steps. I turned off the television, and after making sure all of the doors were locked, went upstairs. I took a quick shower, and climbed into bed. I tossed and turned for a while, realizing I couldn't sleep. Although it would be going against Edward's rules, I decided I was going to wait up for him. He would be disappointed, but I had a little something up my sleeve. Around eleven thirty, when I could clearly hear Charlie's loud snoring, I saw a graceful and brisk shadow appear through the window. I turned on the lamp next to me to see his angel's face clearer. It didn't look happy.

"Bella, I told you not to wait up for me." He said sternly.

I shrugged. "I know, but I couldn't sleep if my life depended on it."

Edward sighed. "Bella…"

I smiled. "Hey now," I started, taking his hand and attempting to pull him towards the bed. He followed, and sat down next to me. "We're getting married. _You_ try sleeping when you're that excited." I challenged.

Edward grinned. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." He leaned in and kissed my forehead. "But I do want you to get some sleep. Now that I'm here, will you try?"

I sighed. "Can I ask you something first?"

Edward nodded. "I guess that sounds fair. Ask away."

"When do you want to get married?" I had now gotten used to saying the word 'marriage'. 'Engaged' and 'fiancée' still needed a little work.

Edward chuckled. "I thought you were the one who didn't want to get into the wedding details." He accused.

"Yes, but I'm stalling, so just humor me." I said flatly.

Edward chuckled again. "Alright, well, anytime you want. How about next month?" He suggested.

I nodded. "Yes. Right before you change me."

Edward groaned. "You have to bring that up."

"Edward, come on. You know it's going to happen. Why aren't you happy about it?" I asked, confused.

"Bella, I'm not exactly what you would call 'thrilled' to be taking your soul."

"Edward, I'll still be _me_, no matter what. Who _cares_ about my soul? _You_ have it now, and you'll have it after you change me."

He sighed. "Back to wedding details." He stated, getting back on topic.

"How about sometime in early June, so we don't have to wait?" I suggested.

"That soon?" He grimaced.

"Yes. Edward, I'm not going to be able to go on much longer without you. The sooner the better. Unless--" I raised my eyebrows. "You're nervous…" I teased.

"No, Bella. All I'm asking is if you are sure you want to be married that soon?"

I smiled. "So you _are_ nervous!"

Edward rolled his golden eyes. "No. I'm just saying—once you say 'I do', you're stuck with me." He smiled.

"Forever." I whispered.

"Yes."

"Stuck with you forever. I like the sound of that."


	2. The Meaning of Forever

Chapter Two

Something cold and hard gently pressed against my forehead early the next morning. I opened my eyes, to find myself alone in my bedroom. I sat up, disappointed that Edward had left. On the other side of the bed, there was a folded up piece of paper. I reached for it, but winced at the sharp pain in my hand. Remembering how I had injured it the night before, I reached for it with my good hand, and read the fine printing.

_I'll be here at 10:00_

I looked at the alarm clock. It was only eight. I got out of bed, took a quick shower, and eventually made it downstairs to make breakfast. I was almost done scrambling the eggs (with my good hand) when Charlie came downstairs.

"'Morning Bells." He said groggily.

"Good morning, Dad."

He sat down at the table. "Smells good. They almost done?"

I nodded. "Just a minute."

I put the eggs on the kitchen table, and went back to the table to grab two plates. Charlie started to help himself to the eggs.

"Edward's coming by at ten o'clock." I told him, making it sound like we had planned it last night, not by a note this morning.

"Oh. Should we save some eggs for him?" Asked Charlie, dropping the serving spoon back into the bowl.

I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to have Edward eat food again, for my sake. "No. He said he's going out to breakfast with his family." I lied.

"Don't you want to go with them?"

I shrugged. "_Somebody_ had to make you breakfast."

Charlie chuckled. "Can't argue with that. You know, I don't know how I'm going to get by once you move out of here. I've relied on you too much these past few years." He sighed.

I smiled. "Well, somehow you got by all those years before I came. I'm sure you'll manage."

We finished eating, and Charlie left to go fishing. At ten o'clock, while I was still doing dishes, I heard a quiet knock on the door. Smiling, I dropped the dishtowel, and hastily put my shoes on. I swung open the door excitedly with my left hand, forgetting once again that I had hurt it.

"_Ow_!" I exclaimed, rubbing my sore hand. "Stupid, rock solid vampire…" I muttered.

"Gee, _thanks_ Bella." A velvety voice chuckled. "I'll remember that one."

I looked up, shocked. I hadn't even realized Edward had been standing there. I exhaled a breath I didn't know I had been holding in.

"Edward…I didn't mean that." I stammered.

He just laughed. "I know. Don't worry. Our kind does have a tendency to be _rock solid_." He teased. He walked up the porch steps and took my left hand in his cold one, examining it. "I'm guessing your hand doesn't feel much better."

I shrugged. "It's fine. Really. Let's go." I said, walking nonchalantly over to his Volvo. He caught up with me in an instant.

"We'll put ice on it when we get to my house." Edward said, holding the car door open for me just in case I had already forgotten about my hand.

When we arrived, Alice was anxiously waiting in the garage. She quickly opened the passenger door for me before Edward turned off the car. I laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Bella, come inside! I can't wait to get started!" She pulled me out of the car with one swift movement, and before I could blink, I was in the Cullen's living beautiful living room.

"Alice? What are you talking about? Get started doing what?" I asked, a bit taken back, considering just a second ago I had been in Edward's car.

Alice just smiled widely. "The wedding, silly! Now I was thinking ivory for your dress. And your bouquet is going to be entirely violets. Now, Bella, look at these napkin designs I have here. Would you prefer the golden swirls at the corners or the silver rose? I have a suggestion. If you go with the swir--"

"_Alice_!" I exclaimed, glaring at the stack of bridal magazines she had placed on my lap while she had been talking. I lifted them onto the table.

"Alice, this is really nice of you, but don't you think we're moving a _bit fast_ here?"

Alice had been about to protest when Edward walked in.

"Wow. We've been here for less then thirty seconds and already she's plunged into wedding details!" Edward laughed. "Good luck!" He started to head up the stairs at human speed.

My eyes went wide. "_Edward_! Where are you going? Don't leave me here!" I exclaimed. I knew I wouldn't be able to survive Alice's hours of constant fussing.

Edward just smiled. "Don't worry, my love. I'm just going to leave you two girls alone so you can squeal over the napkin designs. I would hate to intrude." He said, mocking innocence. He walked further up the steps.

I groaned. "Edward…"

He smiled, ignoring me. "Oh, and by the way Alice, I like the swirls. But that's just my opinion." And with that, he had disappeared up the stairs.

There was a long pause. I was inwardly groaning at the fact Edward had left me here to deal with unnecessary wedding details, while Alice was probably inwardly squealing at the fact.

"He's right, you know. The swirls are better." She remarked.

I tilted my head up towards the ceiling, praying for a miracle to get me out of this. No such luck. Alice had already moved onto another ridiculous subject. Realizing I would be stuck here, I played along, pretending to be enthusiastic every time Alice made a decision for my wedding. After about an hour, I found that I was actually _enjoying_ it. After all, this was my wedding to Edward, which would bring us together permanently. And Alice would be my sister in law, along with Rosalie. And I would be gaining two brothers, and another set of parents. Of course, I felt as if they were my family already, but now it would be official. So what if Alice wanted to spend countless hours discussing what exact color the tablecloths should be? She was my family.

About three hours later, we—as in Alice—decided that my wedding would officially take place on August fifteenth. That way, it would give Alice enough time to plan the wedding, and just enough time for me to get my act together before I married my love. Edward had checked on us occasionally, basically to make sure I was still alive. I had originally planned to spend the day with him, but I reminded myself I had all eternity to share with him. Certainly, I could sacrifice one day out of forever. And Alice was my best friend. It was worth it.

Eventually, Edward dismissed Alice from wedding detail duty, much to her dismay. He must have been excited to get me alone, because he picked me up in one swift movement and before I could gasp, we were in his room. He laid me down gently on the bed that was never used unless I was there. Before I knew it, he was on the other side of me, and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Thank you." He whispered into my hair.

"For what?" I asked, liking the feeling of his cold arms around me.

"For putting up with Alice." He chuckled. "She's having a blast, you know. You should have heard her thoughts. They were constantly racing from one thing to the next. She's got a lot in store for you the next few days."

I smiled. "Well, I better get used to it. She _is_ going to be my sister, after all."

Edward nodded. "Yes. She's never had anyone to fuss over before. She loves you, you know."

I nodded. "I know."

We lay like that for a while, Edward kissed my head every once in a while and whispered, 'I love you' into my ear. It was perfect, the way we were laying. I could have stayed that way forever. _Forever_. I used to say it so loosely, usually when I was exaggerating. But ever since I had met Edward, the meaning of forever was so different to me. Forever was an awfully long time, an amount of time I was more than willing to share with Edward.

I heard a low, rippling sound coming from my stomach, interupting me from my thoughts.

Edward chuckled. "Lunch time for the human." He announced.

We walked downstairs, (I had insisted that I could manage perfectly by myself) to see that everyone except Carlisle was down there. I smiled at my soon to be family, whom I didn't even realize was there while I was working on the wedding details with Alice.

"You know, Edward, it's very unfair of you to hog Jingle Bell like that. You can't have her all to yourself." Emmett remarked in a smart alec tone.

Edward smirked. "_Really_, Emmett. Watch me." And with that, he picked me up and we were instantly in the kitchen. He sat me down gently on one of the chairs. "What'll it be today? I could make lasagna, soup, grilled cheese…" He suggested.

"Grilled cheese sounds good."

As Edward started to prepare my lunch, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice all entered the kitchen. Emmett sat down next to me, and shook his head.

"You know, I don't know _how_ you do it, Bells." He sighed.

I knit my eyebrows. "Do what?"

"How can you be prepared to spend the rest of your life with _him_?!" He exclaimed, disgusted. I knew he was teasing. Edward just chuckled.

"Well, _actually_, Emmett, I'm quite thrilled to somehow get to keep him forever." I smiled. "And all of you, as well."

Emmett just grimaced. "Geez. I mean come on. _Edward_? Who would want to spend an eternity with _him_?" He mocked. "I mean, _come on,_ Bells! You've got to have better taste then _that_!" I heard Alice and Jasper laugh. Edward just continued to cook, and I couldn't see his expression. I was sure he was rolling his eyes.

Edward finished making my grilled cheese, and as I ate it, I listened to Emmett rattle on about my bad taste in men. I could only raise my eyebrows at some of the comments. I swear, Emmett could have probably gone on forever, literally. Thank goodness for Esme, who entered the kitchen, kissed my forehead, and politely asked Emmett to hush, in her warm voice. Emmett just laughed.

"I was only joking, Bells. You know that, right?" He asked, slightly nervous.

I just laughed. "Well, I guess you've learned your lesson the hard way. No matter what you say to me, I'm still going to be around, forever."

"Thank goodness for that! I seriously was getting bored out of my mind before you, Bella. And that's hard for someone who can see the future to do. You came just in time." She smiled, and hugged me. Grinning, I looked at Edward's face, his expression unreadable. Maybe he was just happy.

I stayed there for dinner that night. Dinner, which mainly consisted of me eating and the rest of my 'family' talking; Emmett cracking jokes, and for some odd reason, Edward remaining silent. I was confused at this, for normally he wasn't so secretive. Even Jasper was livelier (for a vampire) than Edward was. I decided I would ask him about it later, when we were alone.

After I ate, Edward finally spoke. He requested that Carlisle looked at my hand, and said nothing more. Carlisle examined it, and after much complaining on my part, he wrapped a big, stretchy bandage around it to hold it into place. But the annoyance was quickly forgotten when I noticed the time. It was getting late, and Charlie would be wondering where I was. It was almost as if Edward could read _my_ mind, because he suggested that he drove me home. He must have just noticed me look at the clock. After hugging everyone goodbye, Edward and I got into his car. As he started speeding down the long, curved road in the woods, he was still silent. I couldn't even hear him breathe. I tried to come up with something to talk about, anything to get him speaking. But something was bothering him. That much was obvious. Even if we did have a conversation on some random subject, I still wouldn't know what was wrong.

After a few long minutes, the silence became agonizing.

"Edward, you were so quiet tonight." It wasn't a question.

He shrugged, his eyes still on the road. "Does it bother you?"

I sighed. "Well…sort of. You're never this quiet, Edward. What is it?"

He just smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes like it normally did.

"Nothing, Bella. I don't even know what you're talking about."

I wasn't fooled. "You know, you're normally a good liar. Surely you can do better than that." I retorted sarcastically.

He sighed. "Bella, you're being absurd."

"I'm being absurd?" I could feel the flash of anger coming on. I knew it was something silly to be angry about, but Edward had never been dishonest with me.

He shut his eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, despite the fact he was driving. "No." He paused. "I apologize. You're not absurd."

I sighed. Of course he was forgiven; there was no question to that. "Edward, I love you and I'm going to be your wife. I'm becoming a vampire, and I'm going to spend eternity with you. I want you to be honest with me. Forever is an awful long time to keep secrets, you know." I said in a calm voice.

I looked over at Edward's face. He was looking straight ahead. His eyes looked agonized. He grinned painfully. "See, _that's just it. Forever_." He whispered.

By now, we had pulled in front of my house. I noticed Charlie sitting on the porch, looking at Edward's car impatiently. I knew I would have to exit soon, but I sat in the seat anyway, confused beyond belief.

"Edward…what are you talking about?"

He just let out an agonized chuckle and got out of the car, and walked to the other side to open my door for me. I slid out of the car, still completely dumbfounded.

"_Edward_…" I whispered.

He said nothing, and walked with me in the darkness to the porch.

"I apologize, Chief Swan, for returning Bella later than I had intended to. My sister got slightly carried away with the wedding details, and I figured it would be only fair to Bella that she ate dinner with us, considering Alice had kept her preoccupied for so long." Edward explained in his calm, smooth voice. It was the voice he always used in front of Charlie.

I prayed Charlie would not get angry. That was the last thing I needed.

Instead, he nodded. "I suppose it's alright. Bella is gonna be married soon, after all."

All the more reason why I needed an explanation from Edward. It was bothering me extremely, because Edward had never been so reluctant to tell me things before.

Abruptly, Edward bent down and kissed my forehead, and walked back to his car. I watched his car drive off into the night, with what was probably a shocked expression on my face.

"You okay, Bells?"

I jumped, having forgotten Charlie was even there.

I turned around. "Oh, uh… yeah. I'm just tired, I guess. Alice wore me out." I said, using Edward's explanation.

Charlie chuckled. "That girl sure can be a pistol sometimes." Charlie favored Alice out of all of the Cullen's. She had assisted me during the time when I was wobbling around on crutches, which was a result of the 'James Incident' as we liked to call it. Or to Charlie, the 'falling down two flights of stairs and through a window incident.'

"Well…um, I'm going to head on up to bed, Dad."

"So early?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm tired. See you in the morning, Dad."

He kissed my head. "'Night, Bells."

I went to my room, and almost gasped when I noticed the piece of paper folded on my pillow. Closing the door, I hastily opened the note, curious to see what it read.

_I know you're probably upset with me. Keep your window closed if you don't wish for me to come tonight. I'll understand._

Without thinking, I put the note in my drawer where Charlie wouldn't find it, and went into the bathroom to shower. The hot water on my back startled me. I changed into my pajamas, and taking a minute or two to debate on what I already knew I was going to do, I opened my window, as far as it could go.

I woke up from my dreamless sleep, startled to feel something hard and cold underneath me. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I looked up in the darkness to see Edward's face. I felt a sudden wave of relief wash over me. Then I remembered I was supposed to be irritated with him. Every time Edward came in the night, I had a habit of unconsciously rolling over onto his chest—rock hard, but more comfortable than any pillow. I mentally scolded myself. Once his eyes met mine, I immediately rolled off his body and onto the other end of the bed.

"Bella…" He spoke softly the darkness.

I hesitated to answer. What do you say to somebody when you're irritated with him, yet so worried and in love with him? But it was clear to me that there was only one thing I needed to know right now.

"Edward…I'm sorry…" I stammered.

I could almost see his confused expression in the darkness. "I was so curt with you earlier today, and _you're_ apologizing?"

I shrugged. "I wasn't sure what else to do. You didn't give me much of a choice. Since you weren't talking for whatever reason, I've just got to assume that I've done something wrong." I explained.

Even in the dark, I could see Edward's eyes become painful again. Without a moment's hesitation, he sat up, and hugged me tightly to his chest.

"You did absolutely _nothing_ wrong, love." He whispered into my ear, rubbing my back gently with his cold hand. "I'm sorry. I was extremely unmannerly and ignorant to the fact that I was offending you. I'm sorry."

I wrapped my arms around his stone body. "There's nothing to forgive." I whispered.

He sighed a moment later. "You're still curious." He stated, as if he could read my mind.

I nodded against his chest. "Immensely."

He sighed again. "I'll tell you." He paused for a moment. "You'll be angry."

"Tell me anyway."

Yet again, he let out another sigh. For someone who didn't need to breathe, he sure sighed a lot. "I'm afraid you'll regret your decision."

Almost instantly, I knew what he was talking about. After our wedding, when I would be changed.

"Edward--" I protested, but he put his cold finger on my lips, silencing me.

"I know we've been over this before. But my worries are only increasing now, Bella. Do you have any idea how _selfish_ I am?" He asked me in a pained voice.

"You're not selfish at all--"

He cut me off. "Bella, I'm taking your humanity—your soul---just so I can have you forever. My family and I didn't have a choice. We would have done anything to remain human. But _you_, you begged me to turn you into a monster."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with his cold finger once again.

"Bella, I realized that what I'm doing to you is worse than cursing you to an eternity of night. I'm completely changing your mindset on the difference between mortal and immortal. As I said, my family and I didn't have a choice. _You do_, and from the very second I came into your life, you've wanted to become one of us. Bella, Rosalie acts bitterly towards you because she's jealous. You've got everything she wants-- mortality, humanity, and a soul. The rest of my family is thrilled for you to become one of us. Bella, you say the word 'forever' as if it only exists until the day you die of old age. Bella, forever—in my world—truly means forever. There's no going back." His voice was so disturbed and agonized; it pained me on the inside.

"Edward…I know. I know." I whispered.

He hugged me tighter. "Bella, I don't want you to risk it all for me. I can still be yours—_forever_—but in a human's perspective of forever."

I shook my head. I knew this was a subject that had always pained Edward to think about. He looked at it as if he was personally sentencing me to a world of cold, dark, dreamless nights. I didn't see it that way at all. Not even a little bit.

I felt a lump in my throat. "Edward…I know what I'll be giving up for you. But I've made my decision. We both know very well that we can't exist without each other. Me being a human…is so unimportant to me…when I think about the…well…eternity I get to spend with you thanks to some miracle…Edward…I…" I couldn't hold it in anymore. I burst into dramatic, unnecessary tears. I didn't care.

"Bella…"

"I'm sorry." I gasped through my tears.

Edward let out an frustrated chuckle. "Don't you apologize, my love. You have done nothing wrong. I'm sorry for letting this all get out of control. Shhh. It's alright, my Bella." He soothed, tracing small circles on my back with his hand. "Don't cry. Shhh." After a few minutes, my crying had calmed down somewhat. Edward gently laid me down, and kissed away my tears, one by one. He lay down next to me, wrapping his arms around me protectively. I relaxed as he started to hum my lullaby. I eventually drifted back into yet another dreamless sleep. The only difference this time was that I was I was at ease in my love's arms.

I woke up the next morning with a startle. Today was August fourth. Eleven more days until I became Bella Cullen. I didn't know what had possessed me to think of that the second I woke up, but it all of a sudden became very real to me. Too real. In a good way, of course. I hoped out of my empty bed with unexpected enthusiasm, and changed into jeans and a t-shirt shirt and happily skipped downstairs. Charlie was already awake. He was sitting at the kitchen table with the newspaper and a cup of coffee. He noticed my extra energy, because he raised his eyebrows as I skipped into the kitchen.

"You certainly are _cheery_ today." He pointed out.

I smiled. "I'm getting married in eleven days!" I exclaimed in a strangely happy tone.

Charlie smiled, but didn't seem to share my same emotion. "Yeah, Bells. I take it your excited?"

"Insanely!"

Charlie chuckled. "Well I'm happy for you, Bells."

I sighed contently. "So, what do you want for breakfast?"

Charlie shrugged. "Anything's fine."

I was in the middle of making pancakes when the doorbell rang. Charlie went to get it.

"Alice! How nice to see you." Charlie exclaimed.

I knit my eyebrows. What was Alice doing here? Knowing I couldn't leave the pancakes on the stove, I simply turned my head in the direction of the hallway. She was standing in the hallway, with the perkiest grin on her face.

"Hi Alice!" I called.

"Bella!" She called in her musical voice. She came and hugged me from the behind.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, feeling just as enthusiastic as Alice.

She shrugged. "Oh, no reason. Aren't I allowed to visit my future sister in law?"

I smiled. Although in the back of my mind, I had a feeling that Alice was planning something after her little 'visit.'

She and I chatted for a while, and eventually the pancakes were done. I offered Alice some, to be polite to her in front of Charlie. She thanked me, and said she had already eaten with her family.

"Make sure you eat a lot, Bella," Alice started. "Because we've got a lot to do today." She smiled, probably enjoying the expression on my face.

"Alice, what are we doing?" I asked, suddenly serious, all my enthusiasm gone.

"Oh, don't worry, you'll see." She teased.

I groaned. Charlie laughed at my newfound misery.

"_Alice_…" I whined. "Tell me."

She looked at Charlie, her golden eyes laughing. "Well, you where it only once…it's white…_you_ can very easily trip over it…" She hinted.

I was still oblivious.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Well…it rhymes with ledding mess…"

My eyes went wide. "WEDDING DRESS?!"

Alice laughed. "Yes. Don't worry though. I think you'll have fun."

I shook my head. "Alice, I can't even afford…"

"Did you think you were going to walk down the aisle in jeans and a t-shirt? And don't worry about the cost. It's going to be covered."

Before I could protest, Charlie spoke up. "That is really kind of you, Alice, but really, I can pay for the dress." Charlie insisted.

Alice's eyes pleaded. "Please, Charlie, let me. This is something I've looked forward to for a while. You see, Edward was always so lonely, and ever since Bella stepped into his life, he's changed. He smiles more. Bella has helped us become a closer family. The least I could so is buy her wedding dress for her." Alice explained.

Charlie grinned proudly. "Well in that case, you girls have fun."

Although this was such a touching conversation, _I_, however, was less than thrilled. Shopping with Alice had never been a production I had ever looked forward to. I loved her dearly, but she always went way overboard. But now, a_ wedding dress_. Who knew what she had up her sleeve?

But I played along as Alice dragged me out of the house, and into her yellow Porsche. We drove for a while, about fifteen minutes. Alice explained we were going to a bridal store in Seattle, where Esme and Rosalie were waiting for me. Rosalie and Alice were going to play the roles of my bridesmaids.

"Don't worry, Bella. You'll have fun. I can see it." She said. Boy, it was strange having a physic for a best friend. I loved it. Though it still didn't make me excited.

We arrived at a bridal shop in Olympia about twenty minutes later. The store was huge; fluffy white dresses hung were everywhere to be seen. Mannequins in various poses displaying a gown were everywhere. I shuddered, not even wanting to think about the long day I was about to have.

Alice, Esme, and even Rosalie, were all over the production. While I waited in the dressing room, they passed me dozens of dresses, all different designs and matieral, but all of them ivory, to go along with Alice's color scheme. The first one I tried on wasn't really that bad, compared to others. It wasn't big and poofy, the kind I refused to get. It was obviously vintage, which I liked about it. It wrapped around my torso and then cascaded a cone shaped flow down to the floor. I knew I still had a lot more dresses to try on—a ton more—so I put it to the side and tried on the next one.

This went on for about four hours. By the end, I was about to collapse on the dressing room floor. Knowing Alice, she probably had me try on every dress in the whole store. Some were hideous; some were hilarious-looking on me. Others we pretty, but they would have looked a ton better on Alice, Rosalie, or Esme. After I changed back into my normal clothes, Alice laid out the five dresses she liked best on me, and the four of us looked at them quizzically.

Emse smiled. "Which do you like the best, Bella? It's your wedding day."

I shrugged. "They're all great."

"Which one do you imagine yourself walking down the isle to Edward in?" Alice asked me.

I laughed. "You tell me." I whispered; quiet enough for only the four of us to hear.

"Bella, I won't be able to see your dress until you pick one." She whispered, and then laughed.

I sighed. "Well…" I scanned all of the dresses. "Well, I did like the first one."

Everyone turned their directions to the first dress I had tried on.

"Yes, but do you _love_ it?" Esme asked in her warm voice. "You only get to wear a wedding dress--" she paused. "—for the first time—_once_, you know."

I thought for a moment, looking over all of the dresses.

"I think you should go for it." Rosalie suddenly spoke, breaking the silence she had portrayed for the majority of the time.

I looked over at her, trying to keep the shock off my face. Rosalie had been fine with the fact that I was joining her family, but she wasn't thrilled that I was getting married and then becoming a vampire. That much was obvious. She had spent the day doing whatever Alice asked of her, but never once had she given her input, until just now. This was a good sign.

"You know what, Rosalie? You're right."

When I got home, I collapsed on the living room couch. Charlie, who was sitting in an arm chair watching a baseball game, laughed.

"She really wore you out, huh?"

I groaned. "Thank goodness I only have to get married once." I smiled in spite of myself. Who knew how many times we would be married again in the future? Just the thought of it made me smile even wider.

"Bella?" Charlie asked, interrupting me from my thoughts. "Don't you think you should tell your mother? She might want to know when you're getting married."

"Oh, shoot. I forgot to call her. I'll do it right now."

I brought the phone upstairs to my room, and dialed Renee's number.

"Hello?"

"Mom, it's me."

I could hear her smile in her voice. "_Bella_! How are you?"

"I'm great. How are you and Phil?"

"Fine. How's Edward and his family?"

"They're great too, mom. Look I'm sorry; I know I should have called you earlier. Alice sent out the wedding invitations yesterday, but since we hardly have any people coming, I really don't see the point. But anyways, the wedding is on the fifteenth." I explained.

I heard Renee gasp quietly. "So soon?"

"Yes. You know, since only close friends of mine and the Cullen's are coming, Edward and I would rather get married sooner rather than later."

"Alright. Well…I have no earthly clue of what Phil's baseball schedule is, so I hope he can make it."

"Tell him not to worry." I paused. "It's not going to be that big of a ceremony anyways. Basically just Edward's family, and a few folks from around here. And you."

"Oh Bella, do you have any idea how happy I am?"

I laughed. "Yeah, well, I'm happy too. Look, Alice hauled me off to the bridal shop for four hours today, so I'm pretty beat." I explained, wanting to hang up.

I heard her sigh. "Oh, drat. I wish I had been there to help you. It's every mother's dream, you know."

"It's okay, mom. Esme was there, and Alice helped a lot too."

"Well, I'll let you get some rest, honey. Tell Edward's family I said hello. I can't wait to see you!" She squealed.

"I'll see you soon."

"Bye Bella."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone, and laughed to myself. Here I was, talking so nonchalantly about my wedding. Sure, no big deal. I was only getting married at eighteen years old to a vampire. Then I'm going to become one—_no problem_. I realized I should be scared, but I wasn't. All I wanted was to be with Edward forever, and I was going to. I was anxious, that much was true. Though even then, I didn't really know what to expect. I was more than happy to trade in my morality for immorality, and I knew I wouldn't regret the decision. But what was to become of me? Would I still be Bella? I wasn't sure. Obviously, I would lose my clumsiness and blushing, but what about everything else? Edward's whole family had told me that every newborn's main interest is blood. Is that all I'll want at first? _Blood_? I couldn't envision myself being me, but also letting my cravings hurt the ones I love. And what about Charlie and Renee? There was no doubt that I wouldn't be able to see them anymore. I would have to become dead to them. I shuddered at the thought. I knew it would break their hearts. Of course it was worth it for Edward. There is no way that I can go on without him. After all, Charlie and Renee would move on. And I would get to spend an eternity with my new family. There was nothing I wanted more. I would get to spend forever with them. Just the word forever, was different to me now. Because 'forever' now literally meant _forever._


	3. Ready to be Married

Sorry—I forgot to put the disclaimer in the last two chapters but I don't own twilight.

Chapter Three

August 12thth

"Alice, is this really necessary?" I asked as she stuck another pin into the dress for the thousandth time.

"Of course it is. Now hold still." She stuck another pin into the waist of my wedding dress. At one point, I didn't think it would be possible to alter the dress anymore. Never say impossible with Alice.

I was standing in Alice and Jasper's room, trying my hardest to concentrate on the rain tapping on the window from outside. The wedding was three days away, and things were starting to get even more hectic. There were five big round tables with fancy table clothes, plates and silverware in the Cullen's huge living room. The front room had been cleared out of all furniture, and a wooden dance floor had been delivered and placed in the room. Alice had been in charge of organizing everything, but Esme was to be given all of the credit for the decorating. She had really outdone herself for such a small wedding. I rarely saw Edward anymore; mostly at night when he came into my bedroom, but I was asleep for most of the time. Emmett had been making a great effort to make me blush as much as he could, considering that I wouldn't be blushing for much longer. It was bad at first, but now it was just extremely annoying.

Alice seemed to be almost done with the pins when there was a knock on the door.

"Bella?" Edward called from the other side.

I was about to yell 'come in,' but Alice cut in.

"Don't even think about it, Edward! You know you can't see the wedding dress until the wedding day."

I turned around to face Alice. "Come on, Alice. This isn't really a _customary_ wedding. Does it matter?"

"Yes." She turned towards the door. "_Go away, Edward_," She called.

"Fine, fine," I heard him mutter.

I sighed impatiently. "Are we almost done? I feel like we've been doing this all day!" I complained.

Alice nodded. "Yes, we're almost done. Now hold still and be quiet or I'll purposely poke you with one of these pins," She threatened with a smile on her face.

I laughed. "No, you wouldn't."

She squinted her eyes in mock confusion. "Why wouldn't I?

"We're a bit touchy to blood around here. I'm sure you can take that into consideration," I explained.

Alice laughed. "Alright. We're almost done." And with that, she adjusted my dress with a few more pins, and then turned me around to look in the huge mirror. "Well, what do you think?" She asked.

I smiled. "Wow. The dress looks like it actually fits me now. Great job, Alice!"

She smiled. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Just wait until it's _really_ ready. Edward won't be able to take his eyes off of you." She giggled.

I changed out of the dress carefully in order to not get poked by a pin. Alice hung it up in her huge closet, which was literally bigger than my bedroom. She finally released me from her bedroom, and I wasn't surprised to see Edward appear in the hallway out of nowhere. He smiled my favorite crooked smile, and hugged me.

I smiled. "It's all happening so fast."

He sighed. "I know." He paused briefly. "Are you happy?"

"'Happy would be an understatement." I told him sincerely.

Edward had been about to respond, but instead, his hold loosened around me, and he muttered something I couldn't hear.

"Edward?"

He looked at me with a sly grin on his face. "I just have to go somewhere with Carlisle. I'll be right back, I promise," He explained.

I knit my eyebrows. "Well, where are you going?"

"It's a surprise."

I groaned. "Edward…I _hate_ surprises."

He laughed. "I know. Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough." He kissed my head. "I'll be back soon, love." He then disappeared down the stairs.

"Yeah, and you better have an explanation for this!" I called down to him.

I heard him laugh. "_I will_!" He called back.

I walked back into Alice's room, now having nothing to do. Alice was just stepping out of her closet.

"Do you know where Edward and Carlisle are going? Edward wouldn't tell me." I asked her, flopping down on the bed.

"Bella, Bella. Don't you know you're not supposed to ask questions when somebody is _obviously_ trying to keep a secret three days before a wedding?" She smiled.

"Oh, so it's a _wedding _surprise. Wonderful." I sighed.

"Don't worry. I know you'll be surprised. I saw it."

I sat up instantly. "_You_ know? Tell me, please!"

Alice laughed. "Bella, you do remember our rule. No questions."

I groaned, and then chuckled at my own stubbornness. Alice sat on the bed next to me. Her face was different, a little more concerned this time. "Bella, is there something you want to talk to me about? Jasper felt that you were slightly apprehensive when you walked in, and I kind of…_saw you _talking to me…"

I then was reminded of what I had been thinking about earlier. I had forgotten about it while Alice had been working on my dress. The feeling of anxiety washed over me once again. I was positive Alice would be upset. I wondered if she had seen that, too.

"Well, um…I have not made any decisions yet…and…it's really something that was just at the back of my mind…I wasn't even considering it…only a little…but--"

"Bella, I would be happy if you asked Rosalie to be your maid of honor." She smiled.

"You…_you would_?" I stammered in disbelief.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Bella, you're basically _already _my sister."

"I know, Alice, but—"

"And I don't need to be the maid of honor at your wedding for me to know that you love me." She proved the point I had just been about to bring up.

I sighed, at loss for words. "Are…are you sure? I mean, you know how Rosalie and I aren't…you know…on the greatest of terms. I think she'll appreciate this, but still, Alice, you've done so much for me and--"

Alice laughed. "Has anyone ever told you that you worry _way too much_ about other people? Go downstairs and ask Rosalie right now. She'll be thrilled—I've seen it already."

I sighed. "Alright. Thank you, Alice."

She kissed my cheek in her friendly-Alice way, and giggled. "Go, before your fiancé comes home."

I walked down the stairs, and saw Rosalie in the living room helping Esme place the swirl-decorated napkins at every place setting. Esme turned around when I came down. "Hello, Bella. How did the dress fitting go?" Esme asked in her warm, motherly voice.

I smiled. "Great. I can't wait until it's finished." I paused. "....Rosalie?"

She stopped setting the napkin, and turned her head to look at me. "Yes?"

"Can I…can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." She set her pile of napkins down on one of the tables, and gracefully walked over to me. She seemed to have noticed I wanted to talk to her privately. "Let's go on the porch." She suggested in her musical voice, although I couldn't sense what emotion was on her face. I nodded, and turned to follow her outside.

We were outside, facing the beautiful wooded background. I hesitated to speak at first. I had no idea why I was so nervous.

Her expression remained unchanged. "What do you need, Bella?"

"I…well…was wondering if…you wanted…to be my maid of honor."

Her expression was shocked, but only for a fraction of a second. Then it became suspicious. "Edward put you up to this, _didn't he_?" She accused.

That caught me a bit off guard. "_No_! No…he didn't. …Actually...I don't think he even knows…unless Alice told him. No, this is entirely my idea." I explained.

Her expression was still suspicious, but eventually, it softened. "_Why_?"

"Because…well…I mean you're going to be my sister soon…and with everything going on…I'd…I guess I'd just like us to be closer." I stammered.

She knit her eyebrows. "And you think that I being your maid of honor will bring us closer?" She folded her arms across her chest.

I shrugged. "Well…I mean…yeah. At least…I was _hoping _so." Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all.

Rosalie thought for a moment. "I don't hate you, you know. I think you're making the wrong decision; giving up your morality, but I don't hate you." She paused. "But I can see clearly that you and my brother love each other."

"So does this mean…you'll do it?" I asked hopefully.

She considered it for a moment. Then she smiled. "Yes. Of course I will."

I smiled in relief. "Thank you."

Then Rosalie did something I didn't expect. She hugged me. And it wasn't one of those awkward hugs that you were forced to do to be polite. It was a hug which Alice could have easily been giving me; tight and enthusiastic. I smiled wider, and hugged Rosalie back.

"Thank you, for asking me." Rosalie said.

"I'm just glad you said yes." I chuckled.

We were interrupted when Emmett flung open the front door, startling me. He threw his arms around Rosalie.

"ROSE! JINGLE BELL!" He called to us at the top of his lungs, as if we weren't standing a few feet away from him.

Rosalie broke the hug, shutting her eyes tightly. "_Yes_, Emmett. What is it? And there's no need to be so loud."

Emmett grinned impishly and shrugged. "Sorry. Carlisle and Eddie are home. They have a surprise for you." Emmett said, pointing at me.

I smiled with relief. "Finally…" I followed Emmett inside, and Rosalie followed me. When I entered the kitchen, I gasped in shock.

"Mom!" I ran over to her and hugged her.

"_Bella_!" She chirped happily. "I'm so glad to see you!" She threw her arms around me.

"Mom, what are you doing here? The wedding's not till Saturday--"

She laughed. "Did you seriously think I was going to stay away from my daughter when she needed my help? You only get married once you know."

I smiled. "No, I just can't believe you're here." I broke out of the hug and gestured towards my soon-to-be-family. "Mom, this is Esme, Edward's mother."

Esme smiled. "How nice to meet you, Renee. You have a wonderful daughter." Esme greeted.

Renee smiled. "Oh, I know. It's wonderful to finally meet you. I'm terribly sorry Phil couldn't make it. His schedule is just crazy!"

I smiled. "It's alright, mom." I looked at Emmett and Jasper.

"And this is Emmett and Jasper." Renee smiled toward the two of them.

I was about to introduce Alice, but she beat me to it. Alice came right to my mom, smiling. "I'm Alice, Edward's favorite sister. He just doesn't know it," She stated matter-of-factly.

My mom laughed heartily. "It's nice to meet you, Alice. Bella has told me so much about you."

I laughed, and gestured towards Rosalie. "Mom, this is Rosalie. She's going to be my maid of honor."

"Hello, Rosalie."

"It's nice to meet you, Renee." Rosalie smiled. It was so odd; it felt as if Rosalie was a whole new person.

Renee turned towards Edward and Carlisle. "It was so nice of these two to come pick me up. Very thoughtful." She smiled.

"It was our pleasure, Renee." Carlisle said.

"And Edward, you look the same as you did when you and Bella came to visit! You haven't changed a bit."

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at that remark. Edward noticed, and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Please, do come in and sit down." Esme suggested, leading Renee into the decorated living room.

Renee and I stayed at the Cullen's late that night. She got along very well with the whole family, especially Esme. But how could she help it? My future mother in law was hard to resist adoring. Eventually, I told them I needed to get home, and I offered Renee a ride to the hotel she would be staying. We said goodbye to everyone, and Edward kissed me as I walked out the door. I put Renee's things in the trunk, and we got into the car. As I started up the car, she smiled.

"Well, they are very nice!" She remarked in a cheery tone.

"Yes. I love them all."

Renee then changed the subject to my wedding before I could blink. "_I can't wait to see your wedding dress! You're going to look so beautiful! Oh I'm so excited_!" She babbled on for the rest of the ride down to the hotel, and was still talking as she got out of the car.

I finally made it home to see Charlie, who was watching a football game.

"Hey, Bells. How was it?"

"Oh, fine. Alice hemmed my dress for me." I told him.

"Good. How was Renee?"

I knit my eyebrows. "You knew she was coming?" I asked in disbelief.

"You bet."

I thought for a minute, and then decided to let it pass. "Okay, well, I'm going to bed."

"Already?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah, you know, Alice…"

Charlie chuckled. "Oh, yeah, of course. Goodnight, Bells."

"'Night, dad." I walked upstairs to my bedroom and changed into my pajamas. I crawled into bed, but didn't allow my eyes to close. I wanted to stay awake to see Edward. I had hardly spent time alone with him in weeks, besides the nights he spent in my bedroom. This didn't count of course, since I was unconscious for the most part. I waited a while—I wasn't sure how long—but I eventually heard Charlie close his bedroom door, and a few minutes later, the faint sound of his snoring. I sat up in bed, expecting Edward to duck through my open window any second. I was right. He really was just a shadow in the darkness, but when he sat on the bed next to me, I could see his pale face perfectly. He lay down next to me, wrapping his arms around me. I snuggled deeper under the covers, and moved closer to his cold body. He kissed the top of my head.

"I've missed you," I whispered.

"I've missed you too. And to think—we've practically been in the same building for _days_, yet we've hardly seen each other."

I nodded. "Well, we do have all eternity…"

Edward sighed. At first, I thought he was about to attempt to talk me out of it, once again. "Yes…we do." I had been wrong.

"Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

"Will Alice always fuss over me the way she does? Or do you think that will stop once I'm changed?" I asked hopefully.

Edward chuckled. "No, my love. I think Alice will _always_ fuss over you. It's practically her second nature."

I groaned. "Why couldn't_ running_ be her second nature, like yours?" I sighed.

Edward laughter shook the bed. "Oh, Bella, Bella." He kissed my head once again.

There was silence between us for a few minutes. I was tired, but not yet ready to go to sleep yet. I closed my eyes anyway.

"Are you asleep?" Edward whispered so quietly that it wouldn't have woken me up if I was asleep.

I opened my eyes. "No."

"Renee was so happy tonight. Her thoughts were very…cheerful." He chuckled.

I shrugged. "That's Renee. It's weird, though. I always thought that she would disapprove of getting married so young. Well, me getting married so young, at least."

Edward chuckled at that.

"No, I'm serious. Getting married at an early age is worse than roasting innocent kittens in Renee's book," I explained.

The bed shook again. "Wow. That's a _great_ analogy."

I chuckled in spite of myself. "Yeah, but that's not my point."

"Bella, we're getting married. Your parent's can't stop it. Renee's thrilled, and frankly, Charlie is starting to get used to the idea. So you can stop worrying about everyone else, and just focus on this moment. Alright?"

I smiled. "In case you haven't noticed, it's almost impossible to focus on _anything_ when I'm with you."

"You're breathing, aren't you?" He asked, sarcasm present in his voice.

"Yes…"

"Well, then that's what your focusing on."

I knit my eyebrows. "I don't get it."

He chuckled. Then, before I knew it, Edward's cold lips were pressed against mine. I automatically forgot what we had just been talking about, just as I always did when he kissed me this way. I could not form a coherent thought. I ran my fingers through his bronze hair, probably messing it up. In one fast movement, Edward was on top of me, keeping one hand on the mattress next to me so I couldn't feel his weight on me. He pressed his lips harder against mine, intensifying the kiss. Then, before I could stop him, he shifted his body off of mine, so he was lying back at my side again. I knew the reason for this. Edward had always drawn strict boundary lines in the past, but he promised we would try going one step further on our honeymoon. At this moment, however, I'm sure it was just because he wanted to wait until our actual honeymoon. I realized I was breathing heavily—and so was Edward—unnecessarily. He turned to look at me and smiled my favorite crooked smile. It felt odd how he was so hesitant now, but he wouldn't have to be so hesitant in just a few days. Then a question popped into my head.

"Edward?" I asked. "Where exactly are we _going_ for our honeymoon?"

He grinned. "Surprise," he remarked simply.

I groaned. "_Edward_!"

He laughed quietly. "_Now, Bella_, I do recall a certain sister of mine instructing you to not ask questions three days before a wedding. You wouldn't want to break that rule,_ would you_?"

I rolled my eyes. "_Forget_ the rule. Tell me!"

"Sorry. You'll just have to wait."

"Until when?!"

"When we get to the airport." He said nonchalantly.

I groaned yet again. "That's such a long time!" I complained.

He chuckled. He seemed to be enjoying himself. "Maybe to you. Don't worry, though. I think you'll love it."

I sighed, knowing he wasn't going to tell me right now. I might as well drop the subject. We laid in silence for a moment.

"It was so kind of you to ask Rosalie to be your maid of honor. You should have heard her thoughts. She's so happy."

I nodded. "Well, that was sort of the point. I figured if she's going to become my sister soon, we might as well get as close as we can before it happens. I was kind of nervous about breaking it to Alice, though. She's helped me so much, and I was thinking about asking her, but I really wanted Rosalie and me to be on better terms,"

Edward kissed my head. "Alice honestly couldn't care if you had asked Jessica or Angela, or anyone else for that matter. But she is glad you asked Rosalie. She wants you two to be close as much as you do." He explained.

"Good. I should have known something like this couldn't have gotten Alice angry."

Edward chuckled. "Yes. It certainly takes a lot to get her upset. I ought to know."

I knit my eyebrows. "And how would you know?"

I saw him shrug in the darkness. "I've lived with her for quite a while. I know how to push her buttons. And trust me—it takes a lot more than declining her role of maid of honor to get her upset. Besides, she's happy."

I laid my head on Edward's shoulder, and felt his arm wrap back around me.

"You should go to sleep." He suggested.

I shook my head. "No, I think I'll stay up a while longer."

"Why?"

"Well because you think about it, this is the second to last night we'll ever spend together. I don't want to waste it sleeping." I told him.

I felt his body tense. "Well…um…" He hesitated.

"What? _Another_ surprise?"

He chuckled. "Well, sort of. You see, Emmett and Jasper are taking me out tomorrow. I suppose you could call it a bachelor party. Although, I don't see the reason. Bachelor parties are intended for those who are going to miss their single days. I am thrilled to leave them behind me. But of course, they still insist on it. So, as you see, _tonight_ is our last night."

I let that sink in. "It's all happening so fast."

He wrapped his other arm around me. "I know. It's not too late, you could always--"

"Edward," I interrupted him. "I didn't mean it as a bad thing. I couldn't be more eager to marry you, either. Come on. Now that I know that this is our last night, I_ really_ don't want to waste it." Right after I said that, I yawned involuntarily. _Great._

Edward chuckled. "How about you go to sleep, while I listen to you talk. Just like always. Let's not make this last night different from any other." He suggested.

The truth was, I was tired. "Alright." I yawned again.

Edward kissed my forehead. "Goodnight, love," He whispered.

"Mmmm…'night." I muttered, and then drifted off to sleep.

Something soft slammed into my face the next morning. I instantly woke up, pushing what seemed to be a pillow off of my face. My eyes were blurry with sleep.

"Edward…" I mumbled.

"Nope_._ Get up. We have a lot to do today." It didn't take me a second to realize it was Alice who had so politely woke me up. I rubbed my eyes and stretched. I looked at my alarm clock, and gasped. No human should be awake at this hour!

"Alice, its _six o'clock_…" I complained, making no move to get out of bed.

She threw a shirt and jeans on my bed. "Your point?"

I sighed.

Before I could protest, Alice lifted me out of bed in one swift movement.

"Go shower, your hair looks like a bird's nest. Then come back in here and change." She ordered, but I could tell she was hiding a smile behind all of her seriousness.

"Does Charlie know you're here?"

She nodded. "I told him last night that I was coming over early because we had some things to take care of. Now go. We're going to my house at six thirty.."

The hot water sent a rush of adrenaline through my body when I turned the shower on. I told a reasonably short shower, or so I thought. Alice banged on the door a few times, demanding I hurry up. She was quiet, of course, in order not to wake up Charlie. I finally finished showering and getting dressed, and after grabbing an untoasted bagel out of the pantry for the road, we got into Alice's car, and she sped off to her house.

"What exactly are we doing today, anyway?" I asked in between bites of my bagel.

"Well, first, we have to make sure the flowers are delivered, Emmett, Esme, and your mother are going to make the wedding cake, Edward, Carlisle and Jasper are going to help your dad find a suit, Rosalie is going to finish any last-minute-details, and you and I are going to spend the day in my room picking out outfits for your honeymoon,"She explained fluently.

I groaned.

Alice laughed. "Don't worry, Bella. I won't kill you. At least—I'll _try _not to," She teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Alice, it's completely unnecessary," I complained.

"Say what you want, Bella, but jeans and an old t-shirt is not my idea of _romantic_."

I sighed, but couldn't keep the smile off my face. I'd let Alice have her fun.

When we arrived at the Cullen's house, everybody was in motion. Esme and Rosalie were rolling out the ivory-satin carpet in the part of the living room that would be used as the wedding aisle. There was already chairs for the guests facing the "alter." Esme and Emmett were in the kitchen, checking over all the ingredients they would need for the cake. Of course Esme was a good cook, but _Emmett_ on the other hand…that would be interesting.

Edward, Jasper and Carlisle were on (unnecessary) step-ladders, tightening bolts on the (overdramatic) diamond chandeliers Alice had installed just for the wedding. Edward gracefully jumped down from the ladder when he saw me enter the room. He wrapped his arms around me, and kissed my forehead. His face looked apologetic.

"I apologize for whatever happened this morning and anything Alice does to you for the rest of the day." Edward remarked. I heard Alice laugh.

I grinned. "Oh, don't worry. She's been real easy on me so far. She woke me up in the _gentlest fashion_ this morning."

He sighed, but smiled. "I tried to convince her to let you sleep in, but she insisted you get an early start." He explained.

I smiled and shrugged. "That's okay." I looked around the room. "Where's Renee?"

"Well, although I couldn't convince Alice to allow you to sleep in; I did get Renee off the hook. She'll be here at ten." He told me.

"Alright."

"Bella, come up here!" Alice called from upstairs.

I groaned. "It's never going to end, is it?"

Edward laughed heartily. "Probably not. Go on up. Don't worry; I won't let anything _too_ horrible happen to you." He promised sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes as I started to walk up the staircase. "_Don't fall off the ladder_." I called as I started down the hallway to Alice and Jasper's room. Unsurprisingly, she had already laid out tons of outfits on the bed. Although I didn't know where Edward was taking me for the honeymoon, I was still sure that we wouldn't be gone that long. So why did Alice have enough clothes for me that could last all year? Shrugging, I stepped cautiously into the room and shut the door behind me.

It was probably one of the longest days of my life. Alice had me try on every outfit on the bed to see if it fit. If it didn't, I had to stand with my legs and arms out so she could alter it. Rosalie came up every once in a while to help, but the day mainly consisted of me trying clothes on, and hoping Alice didn't stick me with a pin. Esme insisted that I came downstairs for a lunch break, but Edward wasn't there. He and Jasper had driven to the hardware store to get something for a chandelier. I ate lunch with Renee, whom I had forgotten was even coming. After lunch, I was whisked back into Alice's room, and she had me try on more clothes. I wondered when she had time to go out and get all this stuff for me. Then I remembered my earlier thought. Never say impossible with Alice.

Finally—_finally_—we were finished. It was just around seven o'clock, and I was about ready to collapse on the floor from tiredness and starvation combined. Esme made Alice stop with the clothes so I could go downstairs and eat. I was relieved to see Edward was in the kitchen, waiting for me. Apparently, Renee had already left to go pick up her dress for tomorrow at the dry cleaner's. Edward sat with me as I ate.

"So, how was playing dress-up with Alice?" He remarked, grinning boyishly.

I rolled my eyes. "_Please_—I'm still recovering."

Edward chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll take her off clothing duty soon enough."

I sighed, relieved. "Thank you."

He put his hand over mine. "Just think, love. Tomorrow, you're going to be Bella Cullen," He murmured.

I smiled. "Bella Cullen…" I repeated him. I loved the way the words rolled off my tongue.

All of a sudden, Emmett entered the room, purposely making noise; stomping his feet, bumping into the wall which made the room shudder for a moment. "Yes, and _I _am Emmett Cullen. Can we _please_ get past all the basics?" He retorted, noisily pulling out the chair on the other side of me and sitting on it.

I laughed, not only at Emmett, but at Edward's annoyed stare which Emmett didn't seem to notice.

Emmett folded his hands at the table, like a businessman would do at a conference. "So, Jingle Bell, has Eddie Boy here told you where you're going for your honeymoon yet?"

Edward scowled. "_Emmett, you wouldn't dare_--"

Emmett only grinned impishly. "Of course I would! What's the _worst_ you could do, Eddie?" And then Emmett turned to look at me. "You see Bella, Edward's taking you--"

"_Emmett, shut up_!" Edward muttered, his jaw clenched.

I laughed. Normally things this silly wouldn't bother Edward this much. He must have really wanted to surprise me.

Emmett just sighed. "Okay, okay, I won't tell her," He surrendered. He stared at us for a moment, and then abruptly stood up from the table. "You guys are _so boring_!" He exclaimed, shoving the chair back under the table and stomping out of the kitchen over-dramatically. I giggled when Edward rolled his eyes.

"For someone who's over eighty years old, you'd think he was born yesterday," Edward accused, disgusted.

After I finished eating, Alice insisted that we did a quick wedding rehearsal, just repeating the lines, so I, in particular, didn't mess up tomorrow. It was really rather funny. Emmett read the lines as if he was the pastor, but he exaggerated his tone to make his voice as low as he could. I couldn't help but crack up when we repeated some of the lines. I could hardly say "with this ring, I thee wed," without bursting into hysterical laughter. It was a good thing Emmett wouldn't be reading the lines to us tomorrow.

After fooling around a bit more, Jasper announced it was time for Emmett, Edward, and himself to leave for Edward's bachelor party. Edward was not thrilled to be leaving, that much was obvious. As the three prepared to leave, I realized the next time I would see Edward would be tomorrow, at the altar…

I walked towards the front door the three were about to exit from.

"What are you three planning on doing, anyway? You aren't going to like, _Vegas,_ are you?" I inquired.

Jasper laughed, feeling my confusion. "Don't worry. We won't let him drink too much," Jasper teased, a rare thing for him to do.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. "I guess I don't want to know."

Edward was just pulling on his jacket, and he came over to me and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry, love. We're only going hunting. I wanted to take some extra precautions, you see…" He explained.

I nodded, understanding. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. At the altar. In a wedding dress. _Hopefully_ not tripping." I told him, trying to hide my smile.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist. "Yes, Bella. And I'll be waiting for you." He kissed me then, with more intensity that I had anticipated. That was perfectly fine with me.

"See you tomorrow, my Bella." And with that, he disappeared out the door, along with Emmett and Jasper.

"I love you," I murmured, knowing Edward would hear.

The last night I spent in my own room was a lonely one. I had become so accustomed to having Edward's cold arms around me as I slept, and the extra warmth made me restless. That, mixed with pre-wedding-jitters, and Charlie's faint snoring. I woke up early the next morning, after only get a couple of hours of sleep. I dreaded looking in the mirror. Alice would quite literally kill me if I had lines under my eyes. I took a shower, and after getting dressed, I went down stairs to cook one last meal for Charlie. It was only seven o'clock, and I was kind of relieved that Alice hadn't decided to politely wake me up again, as she had the morning before. Just as the sausages were finished, Charlie came downstairs.

"Hey Bells." He said groggily, coming over to me by the stove and kissing my head.

I knit my eyebrows. Charlie normally cared about one thing and one thing only in the morning: food.

"What was that for?" I questioned.

He shrugged. "This is the last time I'll ever get a good meal in my own house. _Figured I'd kiss the cook_." He chuckled.

I laughed. "Alright. Sit down, it's ready."

We joked around as we ate, talking about all of the strange and funny events that had occurred ever since I came to Forks. We didn't, however, speak of the few months when Edward had left me. Those were painful for me to talk about, and Charlie never specifically talked about them often. Thinking about this made me remember Jacob, my former best friend. He was still gone. I had continued to bug Seth and Sam if they had any idea where he was, but the answer was the same every time: they didn't know. Jacob had saved me in so many ways. If he hadn't been there for me, I don't know what Edward would have come home to. I knew it was entirely my fault for his disappearance, and it was my fault he was probably very unhappy. And no matter what Edward said could make me think differently. Sighing, I continued to talk with Charlie, and laughed as we told more stories.

Alice came by around eight thirty. Before we left, I took one last look at my bedroom, which was almost empty. Alice had insisted I leave some things there, things I wouldn't need when I got marrie. All of the 'hideous' clothes were left behind as well. Sighing, I went downstairs and after hugging Charlie goodbye, I got into Alice's car and she drove off to her house. She was bouncing up and down with excitement, of course. I sat there and watched her, amused.

"Alice, your car's fine the way it is. I really don't think it needs a sunroof," I teased her.

"How can you not be excited, Bella? It's your wedding day!" She exclaimed cheerily.

I shrugged. "I am excited. Maybe not as excited as you…I don't think your level of excitement is possible for a human to achieve."

Alice ignored my comment. "Bella, if you're nervous, don't be. I've seen your wedding already, and everything's going to be perfect. Maybe I should've had Jasper stay home, and give you some excitement. I think you need it." She paused. "You're not having second thoughts about Edward--"

My eyes went wide. "Alice, of _course not_! I will be excited. Just give me a minute to work up to it."

She smiled. "Alright, you have one minute."

We pulled up in front of the Cullen's house, and Alice whisked me inside right away, as if the butterflies in my stomach hadn't made me jumpy enough. Not to my surprise, Esme and Rosalie were already in Alice and Jasper's room, ready for action. It all happened before I could blink. Alice pulled me into her enormous bathroom, and Rosalie started brushing my hair. Alice plugged in a curling iron, and once it was heated, I felt a mixture of the heat of the iron and her cold hands running through my hair. My hair was gradually turning forming into thick, long curls. Esme ran her fingers through my hair, evening them out. I didn't even have a second to admire my new look, because I was turned around by Alice as she started decorating my face with makeup. I was glad she didn't put much o. And then, leading me back into Alice's bedroom, I was changed into my masterpiece of a dress with the help of Esme and Rosalie. My curls were readjusted, and Rosalie smoothed out my perfect wedding dress that I had grown to love more and more with every passing second. I didn't feel myself, almost as if I was on auto-pilot. My body was doing one thing, but my mind was completely unaware of it. I knew I should be nervous, but I wasn't. Although, I could feel the excited energy starting to flow throughout my body now, as I prepared for the first day of my new life.

Alice continued to use me as her human-Barbie doll until we heard the soft chimes of the doorbell ring downstairs. I assumed Alice must have known it was coming, along with Esme and Rosalie, but they seemed so caught up in decorating me for the wedding that they didn't bother to be downstairs to answer it right away. When it did ring, though, Esme volunteered to go downstairs and answer the door, while Alice and Rosalie continued to fuss over me. A few minutes later, Esme waltzed back into Alice's bedroom, followed by a teary-eyed Renee, with a rolled up tissue in her hand. More tears gushed down her face when she saw me.

"Oh, baby, you look beautiful!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around enthusiastically, but still careful not to ruin any of Alice's perfection.

I smiled. "It's great to see you, mom."

She broke away from the hug, putting her hands lightly on the side of my head to examine my face.

"Alice did such a wonderful job! Look how beautiful you are!" She cried.

I nodded. "I know. She's a miracle worker," I said, gesturing to Alice and smiling at her. She just giggled.

More tears started to fall from Renee's eyes. "Oh, Bella, I can't believe you're getting married! It seems that just yesterday you were just a baby and now…" She put her hand over her smiling mouth, shaking her head. She was really starting to cry now.

"Renee, you'll ruin your makeup," Alice warned her, gliding over to her with a tissue and some eyeliner. "Here, let me help you."

Renee didn't protest as Alice fixed her makeup. I could tell she was hiding even more tears, not wanting to ruin Alice's work.

I stuck around in Alice's room for about an hour, as Renee gushed over how fast I was growing up, and Alice fussed even more, if at all possible. I now was officially nervous, although I knew there was absolutely no reason to be. I was getting married to my soul mate, and I was going to spend the rest of eternity with him. So why was I so anxious all of a sudden? I wondered if he was anxious. I shrugged it off, trying to focus on calming my nerves.

I was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

"Are you girls decent?" An obviously excited Emmett called from the other side of the door.

Alice became tense. "That depends. Is Edward with you?"

"No, it's only me and Jasper."

Alice smiled after hearing the name of her love. "Come in," she called.

The two walked in, both surprisingly dressed in tuxedos. They both looked like models; perfect, handsome models that belonged in a magazine.

I heard Renee mumble something about helping Esme downstairs, and she left the room.

Emmett rushed over to me, ignoring Rosalie, a rarity for him.

"Jingle Bell…" He breathed, seeming astonished when he looked at me.

I blushed. "You know, I bet you hurt Rose by just ignoring her like that," I pointed out, smiling over at Rosalie. I would do anything for the attention to be off of me, if only for a minute.

Emmett smiled. "I'm sorry, Rosalie." He walked over to her and kissed her cheek.

Rosalie rolled her topaz eyes. "Sure you are," she mumbled, but kissed him back anyway.

Jasper walked farther into the room, following Emmett's lead by kissing Alice on her pale cheek.

Alice smiled. "My, don't you look nice?"

Jasper smiled and shrugged. He looked at me. "You seem a bit worried, Bella."

I shrugged. "I guess I am. I don't know why, though."

Almost immediately, I started to feel a wave of calmness wash over me.

"Thanks," I smiled. It was so cool to have a future brother in-law who understood my feelings.

"No problem."

I looked over at the clock on the wall. It was eleven thirty, and the wedding was at twelve.

"The guests are starting to arrive," Emmett announced. "Just thought you'd all like to know."

The guests. I had told Alice I had wanted a small wedding, with just a few close friends there, but I honestly had no idea how many people Alice invited. I swallowed, realizing Alice wouldn't have listened to me. Knowing her, she probably invited all of Forks, La Push, Seattle, and Olympia.

"Rosalie and I have to go change. We'll only be a few minutes." Alice promised me, as she and Rosalie zipped out of the room.

Jasper must have felt my new worry about the guest list, because I unexpectedly felt calm, when I normally would be trembling with fear.

"Thanks," I mumbled again.

I sat down on the bed, and Jasper sat down next to me. "Bella, you've got nothing to worry about. Alice has seen the wedding, and it's going to be perfect." He remarked.

"I know. I honestly don't know why I'm so nervous."

Emmett appeared unexpectedly on the other side of me. "Well, Jingle Bell, if it makes you feel any better, little Eddie boy's bouncing off the walls downstairs. Jasper had to leave the room because of Edward's nerves. He's probably worse than you right now." Emmett laughed.

I knit my eyebrows. "But…why would Edward be nervous?"

Jasper chuckled. "Believe me, Bella. Even vampires aren't perfect. And Emmett's actually not kidding—for once. Edward's emotions were too much for me to handle." He explained with a laugh.

I raised my eyebrows. "Well, then, I do feel better! And you didn't even need to use your talent on me this time, Jasper!"

The two laughed. "You'll be fine, Bella. Don't worry."

I was glad I was getting this time with my two future brothers in-law, especially Jasper. All the awkward barriers that kept us from being closer with each other were gone now, and we were free to laugh as a family—almost.

I was stunned when Alice and Rosalie waltzed into the room. It hurt my eyes too much to even look at them, but I couldn't help it. Alice was wearing a dark blue dress that went down to the floor. Rosalie; the manifestation of genuine beauty, Rosalie, was wearing a dark green evening gown, and she had placed diamond combs into her flawless blond hair.

"Oh my gosh…" I sputtered, completely in awe.

Alice shook her head. "Don't even think about it, Bella. Nobody's going to care a bit about us. Not when you enter the room."

Jasper and Emmett, on the other hand, got up from the bed and kissed their soul mates on the cheek. They were probably in as much awe as I was.

Alice bounced right back into her usual self. "Alright. You two." She pointed her finger at Emmett and Jasper. "Out."

Emmett put on a pouty face. "But…why?"

"The wedding's starting in five minutes." Alice explained urgently. "One of you needs to usher the guests, and the other one of you needs to make sure Edward doesn't pass out on us."

I giggled at the thought of Edward fainting. Alice ignored it. "Go!"

Emmett and Jasper were out of the room in less than a second.

"Okay, Bella." Alice said in a much nicer tone. "Let's make sure you're perfect."

She and Rosalie touched up on any microscopic details that they might have missed, and of course, there was hardly any. I wasn't nervous. At least, not right now. I probably would be when I stepped down the stairs to face the hundreds of people Alice probably had invited.

"Alice?" I asked, as she re-curled an already perfectly curled lock of my hair.

"Yes?"

"How many people exactly did you invite?" I held my breath.

Alice thought for a moment. "That depends. Mortal or immortal?"

My eyes went wide. "YOU INVITED VAMPIRES?"

"Relax, relax. Just the Denali Coven. Tanya, Kate, Carmen, and Eleazar will probably be offended, hearing you make such a fuss over them attending."

I sighed, remembering the four could hear whatever I was saying just as easily as any of the Cullen's could. I shut my eyes.

"So how many mortals did you invite?" I asked, being specific.

"Well, let's see..." She mused. "About seventy."

"Seventy?" I asked in disbelief. "I don't even think I know seventy people! Not in Forks, anyway."

Rosalie spoke up for a change. "Really, Bella, you shouldn't worry about who's going to be there. This day is about you and Edward."

I nodded, realizing she was right. "You're right, Rose. Thank you."

She smiled gloriously. "Well, that's what maid of honors are for, right?"

I chuckled. "Right."

Charlie then walked in, holding my bouquet of violets, just as Alice had wanted. He was wearing his tuxedo, looking very unlike his normal self in such fancy attire. His eyes went wide when he saw me. "Wow…you look…great…Bells…" He stammered.

I beamed. "Thanks, dad." I walked over to him and hugged him, he hugged me back with his free arm.

Alice interrupted our embrace. "Okay, let's get the show on the road!" She announced, taking the flowers from Charlie and handed them to me.

"This is it, Bells," he said, taking my hand in his.

I smiled, as I started to feel tears well up in my eyes. I held them back, knowing Alice would quite literally kill me if I ruined her makeup job.

"Please, don't let me trip." I told my dad.

He chuckled. "I won't," he promised, his grip tightening on my hand.

Rosalie gave me an encouraging pat on my shoulder. "Are you ready to be married, Bella?" She asked as we proceeded down the hallway towards the stairs.

I beamed. "I've never been more ready in my entire life."

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